Vehicle-tire.



No. 826,461. I PATENTED JULY 17 1906. 0. E.'W. WO0DWARD.

VEHICLE TIRE. I APPLIOATION PILEDJUNE 29,1905.

2.SHEETSSHEET 1.

No. 826,461. PATENTED JULY 1'7, 1906,

C. E. W. WOODWARD.

VEHICLE TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNB29,1905.

{SHEETS-QHEEI 2.

casing may be subjected to a UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

' CHARLES E. W. WOODWARD, OF OHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, :.-.i ASSIGNOR 'OF ONE-HALF"v TO KNOX AUTOMOBILE COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION, AND ONE-HALF TO OLDS MOTOR WORKS, OF'DETROIT MICHIGAN; A CORPORATION.

VEHICLE-TIRE.

Specification of Letters' Patent.

'.t"atented. July 17, i906.

Application filed June 29,1905. Serial No. 267.547.

To all whom may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. W W001)- WARD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicopee Falls, in the county of- Hampden and State ofMassachusett's,-have:

invented new and useful Improvements in Tire Construction, specification.

This invention relates to tires for vehicles, the object the'reof being prroved so-called solid tire. as distinguished om the pneumatic, inwhich an elastic or recompression by an inclosing casing of flexible but practically non-elastic material, to the end that inthe completed construction theremay be no creeping of the casing relative to the core and to the end that said constrictingdistending pressure due tothe reaction'of the constricted core, through which constriction the same the core Ina .rnainl in the plane distending effect is produced on the casing as by the inflation of a pneumatic tire, but difi'ering from the latter in that the condensed core offers a much greater resistance to further compression, owing tothe density of the materia than does a pneumatic tire even when the latter is under relatively high pressure.

The core ma be made of pure or relatively pure rub 'er, which in itself is ractically non-compressible, but in which t e expensive action referred to maybe obtained y a constriction which will result .in the change of its normal cross-sectional form, or be rovided with cavities or channels moded t erein, which will permit the practical compression. of the core to a degree which equa s substantially the cubic contents of said cavity or channel, or-the core may bemade of sponge-rubber, which is compressible in all directions owing to the mass of a lar e num-- distribution through the her of minute cells orcavities. Pre erabl however, the core consists of av relativel y pure body of rubber, annular in form, to encircle the rimof the wheel and compressible of the wheel said core being eld .under compression by the application of a flexible but substantially non-elasto the wheel by any of the of which the following is a to' produce an imviews like the preceding fi cations in that the core is held under conwell-known mechanical devices used for that ose.

p '1 e invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a tire in cross-section the core of which is in its natural condition or state of rest, the casing being shown disengaged from its fastening devices. Fig. 2 is a similarview of'the tire, showin the core held in a, state of compression by t e casing, this fi re and Fig. 1 showing-that type of core w 'ch is provlded with circumferentially-disposed channels. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional ures, but showing acore both in the natura and in the comressed state not provided with channels. ig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a tire construction in which the core is shown in a compressed condition and provided with a circumferential channel located in the base of the core next the rim. The natural contour of the core in this view is shown in dotted lines, as well as the natural form of the chan- 'nel. This view also shows a slight variation in'the construction of the fastening devices. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of atire like .that shown in Fig. .5, except that the core is provided with two channels circumferentially disposed'therein, one on the outer and the other .on' the inner surface of the core. Fig. 7 is a side elevation, artly in section, of a ortion of a wheel having the tire thereon wl iose construction embodies certain modifistriction by means of a circumfe'rentiallydrawn toward the rim by a olt, the core being thus compressed by sections. Fig. Sis a; cross-sectional view on line 8 8-, Fig. 7, and shows the manner of eflecting the com ression of the core at regularintervals. ig. 9 is a sectional elevation in the lane of the wheel, showing portions of the rim of the latter and three difierentt es of core, two of them being rovided transverse cells andthe thlr at the right-hand end of the figure, showing a tire with a core made of transversely-d1sposed cylinders. Fig. 10 is a transverse sectlon through Fig. 9 on .line

disposed band which at regular intervals is 10 10, the section runnin through one of the cells disposed transverse y of the core. Fig. V I

'11 is a sectional elevation of a tire, showing the core under compression and embodying another well-known means of securing the casing to the wheel, the dotted lines on the drawing showing the degree of distention.of the core and of the circumferential channel in the base of the core when the latter is not under constrictive pressure. Fi 12 shows a construction not unlike that il ustrated in Fig. 4 with the exception that an inwardlyextending rib is made on the casing to fit into a groove on the u per side of the core to prevent lateral disp acement between the core and the casing, the core being also provided with the circuinferentially-disposed channel in its base.

The numerous drawings accompanying this application are for the purpose merely of showing the various ways in which the invention may be carried out in practice; but they all embody the central idea which constitutes the essential feature of the inventionviz.,- the provision of a resilient or elastic core normally of too great a bulk to be in.- closed by the casing, but compressed to such point eit er in the plane of the wheel or transversely thereto 'as will permit the easing to be applied thereto, whereby the core may be held under compression by the casing in'a manner to effect the outward distention of the casing in the same; manner that the inflation of a pneumatic tire would effect its distention, the range of action of the core, however, bein limited by the degree of its compression. t should be stated here that the word compression is used to denote actual compression of a cellular core or the constrictive pressure applied in one direction t a solid elastic core.

Referring to the drawings, like letters in the various figures indicate like parts, and a is the felly of a wheel; I), the rim; 0, the core, and (1 indicates the casing as an entirety,

which, as a matter of fact, is made, preferably, with an inner portion e, of fabric in a number of thicknesses vulcanized together,

whereby the elasticity of the casing is ractically eliminated, and having the u's'ua tread portion f vulcanized thereon. The casing is also provided with the usual beaded borders g,wherebyby means of the clamping devices h, channeled to receive or overlap these borders, and suitable bolts, as j, the casing may be clamped to the rim when the core 0 has by some mechanical means been compressed to the desired degree, the reference-letter m in dicating thesectional form of a suitable shoe to fit "the tread portion of the casing after the latter has been placed loosely over the core in its distended position, as'shown in Fig. 1, the compression of the core, as indicated in Fig. 2, bringing the beaded edges of the casing into position to be engaged by the clamping device's described. Any suitable mechanical means may be employed to move the shoes m to effect this constriction. The preferred construction in carrying out the invention is that which embodies 'a core of substantially pure rubber having channels o therein, which will permit the core to be compressed centripetally, whereby when it has been released. from the constrictive pressure effected by the shoes m its expansive effect will be exerted on the casingin all directions more-or less,

but more particularly outwardly in the plane of'the wheel. It is entirely immaterial, however, 'whether'these' channels 0 be located entirely within the body of the core, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, orin'the base or the outer surface of the core, or both, or whether they extend eircumferentially of the core or tra'nsversely thereof, or whether they be inthe form of grooves or channels or individuat cells. These are but individual expressions of the same idea, Fig. 7 being practically the only modification of the construction In this figure the core is not inclosed on all sides from one edge of the rim 6 to the other; but a tread portion only is provided, which eonsists practieally'of the inner portion e,-of fabric in the-shape of an endless band and: wide portion of the tire, there beingvulcanized onto this band the rubber treads f in-sections, and between the contiguous ends of these treads f the bolts p extend through the folly and the rim and the tire construction, the T- shaped head g of the bolt extending nearly from side to side of the tire, to the end that when the head g of the bolt is drawn toward the rim the fabric part 6 of the casing willbe drawn against the compressible corec evenly from side to side, and as these bolts are tightened successively around the wheel the'core assumes the circumferentially-erowning butline between the bolts, (shown in Fig. 7,) the tread portions f of the tire extending only over. these crowning parts of the core, as stated.

It will be noted-that in this construction the mechanical means to effect the compression of the core form part of the fastening devices whereby the tire is held on the rim, and therefore the compression may be varied, if desired. Furthermore, the casing not being carried over the sides of the core the rim is cupped slightly, as shown, whereby the lateral displacement of the tire is prevented.

In a tire constructed as herein described I am enabled to attain a more lively tire than so far as I know is possible with the solid tires as at present constructed, and, furthermore, am enabled to remove the casings for repairs or renewal, while the active part of the tire-- ,less resistance to compression and can thus enough to extend entirely across the tread expense inthe manufacture of'eolid tires, in v that it has heretofore been necessary to seadapt. the-tire load it"is to carry andcore there canbe-no cree ces's ofthe construction and, so far as .I am

or yuloanizationtopreyent the attrition due voidab' e unioriof these two. parts the whole tire becomes useless after-the Wearing awai constitutes the casing, whereas jb my inven-y v be used almost renewed as required.

by reason. of theireacti'on of the-compressed .ingjof the casing relative to the latter, and t e-core'and casingg. are thus rotected :frotn the destructive e fects of theslightest friction at this point; This pointfis essential to the commercial suc informed,isfnovel in tires other than pneu-' matic and hasbeenpne of the chief causes of cure the casingrand coreto gether by cement to'cree in'gffandbecause of this hereto una:

I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is' v a The combination with a wheel-rim, of atire comprising an-elastic core and 'a casing there for, the circumference of the core from one side'of the rim to the other being greater than temporarily constricted, b centripetal presthe internal circumference of the casing from 0 one border to the other and arranged to besure .e'xtraneously applie before fastening of the uponthe the casing thecasing, to' effect alateral bul core, and fastening devices carri wheel-rim and arranged to secure ends in such amanner as to com ress theex panded'core laterally'whereby; e core will exert anoutward pressure'against the casing .lremoved.

CHARLES E W, WOODWARDQ Witnesses: Wu. -H'.Cr m1 m,

Ki-I Cannons when the temporary centripetal pressure is 4o 

